The Half-Shank
by justyourfriendlyneighbor
Summary: This is the untold story of the first group of Gladers to be sent up in the Box. Ten boys and one girl–what could go wrong? Read as they struggle to figure out who they are, what they’re doing here, and how they can leave. Mostly canon AU. NewtxOC
1. Beginnings

Chapter 1

I wake with a start, sweat beading across my forehead. It's dark, so I can't see anything, but I do hear something. It sounds like… _whispering?_

Yes, I hear voices. _Male _voices.

Somehow I remember that I am a female, so that's good to know, but when I try to remember anything else, how I got here, my name, what I look like, I come up blank.

I can't remember _anything._

Suddenly I can't breathe, my airways tight. I gasp, bringing my hands up to my throat. The chill of fear seeps into my bones, and I shiver, rocking myself back and forth.

I feel a hand on my shoulder, and I jerk away. "Don't touch me," I grit out, my voice low. I must have sounded at least somewhat threatening because the hand retreated.

"I'm not going to hurt ya."

The person who spoke was male, I could tell that, and he had a strange accent.

I don't respond, only curl into myself tighter. I squeeze my eyes shut, though I can't see anything if they were open anyhow.

We were in a room, of some sort, though it felt like it was moving. It creaks and groans as it lifts us upward.

Voices swarmed around me, but I don't register what they're saying. I hold myself close, rocking back and forth in an attempt to calm my racing heart, which thumps painfully against my chest.

With a screech, the box shudders to a stop.

For a minute, no one moves, no one says a word.

"Well, what do we do now?" a voice speaks up.

"I'm not sure," another responds, which is followed by the box groaning as the speaker stands. "Let's try to find a door, I guess."

There are murmurs of agreement, and everyone begins to move around, feeling around blindly in search of a way out. I don't move at first, until I feel something wet hit my hand. I realize it was a tear, and wipe my face hastily.

_I am **not** weak_.

I take a deep breath, sit up, and begin to help.

There was nothing on the walls except smooth metal, so we turned our attention to the floor.

"There's nothing," someone says. I want to respond with "_Duh"_ but I keep my mouth shut.

"Well, yeah," says the guy with the accent. "It wouldn't lead anywhere if it did. This thing traveled up."

"So that leaves..." I trail off quietly.

I can't see anything, but I could swear everyone looked up in sync.

"How are we gonna reach it?" someone asks.

"I don't know..."

"Maybe lift someone up?" someone suggests.

"I'll do it."

There's some grunts and complaints as the boy who volunteered clambers into a couple other guys' hands, smacking them in the face in the process.

"_Gosh_, dude!" one boy says. "How much do you _weigh?!_"

"Rude," the boy mutters. He lets out a weird grunt sound that makes my nose scrunch up. "_Almost. There._"

_Crash_

I feel someone land against my feet, followed by various groans of pain.

"You dropped me!"

"Because you're an elephant!"

"Okay," I say, helping a boy on the floor to his feet. "How about you try lifting me instead?"

"Wait, there's a girl here?"

I lift a hand to my head. _Seriously? _"I really don't think that's the main issue here."

"Right, right..." At least he sounds somewhat abashed.

The boys link their hands together, and I gently climb into them, much more careful than the previous guy. I reach upwards, finally feeling cool metal. I run my hand along the bolts until I feel a split in what I assume is the middle.

"All right, just a little higher," I say to them. "I just have to push it up, I think."

They lift me up a little more, and I push hard. The hatch opens, and blinding sunlights spills into our dark box. The boys holding me up are so stunned that they lose their grip on me. Panicked, I grab the edge before I can fall on top of them.

"You all right there, love?" asks the boy with the accent.

"Yeah... yeah, I'm fine," I mutter, suddenly embarrassed. I glance down and see him nod, still blinking a few times from the harsh sunlight.

He steps forward and gives my feet a push, helping me pull myself out of the box. Once I'm fully out, I roll to the side and lie on my back for a moment, closing my eyes. When I open them I notice the clear blue sky above me.

I frown. There's not a cloud in sight. Odd.

The complaints of the boys in the box interrupt my thoughts, and I crawl over, peering down at them from the top.

I spot a few crates in a corner, and I ask for those to be sent up, hoping that there would be a rope or something I can use to pull them out. One crate is filled with seed packets and gardening tools, one with cooking supplies, and another with building supplies. I pull out a rope, and grin.

"All right," I say, holding up the rop e for them to see, "who's first?"

~~~

After everyone is out of the box, we all stand in an awkward, lopsided circle. There's about ten of us, and I'm the only girl.

_Fantastic. _

"Well," says one boy, "what do we do now?"

No one knows how to answer the question.

"I guess we need search this place out?" I suggest. It seems like the only logical solution.

The dude with the accent turns to look at me. "Are you bloody insane?" he asks, crossing his arms. "We don't know what's out there!"

"Exactly. Which is why we need to find out," I tell him smartly, crossing my own arms.

He lets out a laugh and for some reason the sound makes me feel... _something. _But it isn't important right now, so I clear the thought from my brain.

"She's right," murmurs another boy. He holds his hand to his mouth, looking down at the ground with a furrowed brow. He looks up at me and I smiled, earning a small one in return.

"So how are we going to do it?" asks a boy with dark skin and a stern expression.

After a moment the other boy says, "Let's split into groups, cover more ground faster. We'll meet back here when we're done." He looked around at us. "Sound good?" We all nodded.

He split everyone into groups of three, leaving one guy to stay by the box and sort through the crates. I found myself with the boy taking charge and another guy who had more yellow-toned skin and almond shaped eyes.

He has perfect hair (_somehow_), and a sarcastic personality, which I find out _very _quickly.

The place is just a giant square, with cement walls trapping us in. In the middle of each wall was a split, like some sort of door, though we all decided to not go out there until the next day.

My group is searching out the corner with a large cluster of trees. The minute we step into the secluded forest I feel a calmness wash over me. Everything is still and quiet. _Peaceful. _

"This place is _creepy_!" Perfect Hair, as I'd named him internally, says rather loudly.

I closed my eyes. _Yeah, really peaceful._

We walked for what seemed like at least a mile before we came to a wall.

"Guess this is the edge," Leader (also a nickname) mused, running his hand along the cement. "Let's see if we can find a corner."

So we walk alongside the giant, moss-covered wall till we reach the corner. There is some open space, with a few large rocks here and there.

I frown. Something just feels... _off. _

Unnatural.

"You all right there, Princess?"

I jump at the voice, turning around to find Perfect Hair standing to my left, looking down at me worriedly.

I shake my head, forcing myself to take a deep breath. _Now is _not _the time to break down, _I tell myself. So I smile and nod, then turn and keep walking, dragging my hand along the wall beside me.

I don't pay attention to how long we continue to trek through the trees, but I do notice when I feel something cool under my hand. Like... _glass?_

I stop, spinning on my heel and squatting down to the small pane of glass imbedded in the wall. It isn't very clean-moss covers the edges- but I can see through it, and that's enough for me.

I look through and let out a gasp. On the other side is another wall, but it splits off in the middle. I squint to see through the dirty glass, and I can barely make out where the passageway turn to the right.

The boys must have heard me because suddenly I can feel their presence directly behind me. "What is it?" one of them asks, sounding concerned. I don't look back to see who it is, because I'm transfixed.

"Guys... it's a _window_."

"A _what_?!"

I step back finally, revealing the small square of glass that sits a few feet above the ground. Immediately they drop to their knees and press their faces against the window.

"That's not very sanitary, you know," I say with a disgusted look, thinking off all the grime and germs. They ignore me, continuing to stare out the window in amazement.

"That looks like..." Perfect Hair trails off.

"A maze," Leader finishes for him.

I cross my arms, feeling the wonder of discovering something new being quickly replaced by anger. "Why would we be put in the middle of a giant maze?"

"There's only one possible reason." Leader looks at me, and I see something indecipherable in his brown eyes. Something akin to raw determination. And it makes me want to fight. "To solve it."

**AN: HII GUYS!**

**I did it! I posted the first chapter of The Half-Shank!!!!**

**I hope you like it :)**

**This story has always been my favorite I've ever come up with, and I've been writing it for legit three years. Yea, I know. **

**I've been rewriting, and it's currently almost midnight on Christmas Day so I will worry about going back and checking grammatical errors later :)**

**Sorry it cuts off at an awkward place, I just felt like getting it out already (plus it's over 2k words already). **

**Please review and lemme know if you like it! I'll update whenever I get a chapter done, so don't expect a set schedule haha**

**Thanks for reading!**

**Much love,**

**~Mary**


	2. Names

Chapter 2: Names

We stood in silence, Leader's words reverberating through our already mushy brains. _A maze? We were put here to solve a _puzzle? It didn't make sense.

_Unless it's a..._

My train of thought was interrupted by a loud boom echoing throughout the area. The three of us shared a brief, panicked look before taking off in a sprint the way we'd come.

We made it to clearing and saw the openings on each wall begin to slide shut slowly. The sound of the concrete walls (_were they doors?_) scraping against each other made the hairs on the back of my neck stand.

I glanced over to look at Perfect Hair, but he was gone. I saw him a few yards ahead, sprinting straight for the closing doors. My eyes widened, and I swore under my breath, running after him.

Luckily, by the time he got to the door, it had already sealed shut.

I stood beside him, catching my breath. I smacked his arm hard. "What were you thinking?" I asked him, angry. "We don't know what's out there!"

"Exactly!" He threw his hands in the air, letting out a frustrated growl. "What if we're trapped in here now?"

"Hey," Leader called out, jogging towards us. "What _was _that, man? We don't know if it's safe out there."

Perfect Hair just sighed, running a hand through his hair. Much to my dismay, though, it remained perfectly in place.

Leader cleared his throat. "C'mon, the sun is setting, and I'm pretty sure I saw that one guy setting up a fire."

~~~

We all sit around a small fire, a bowl of some sort of stew in our hands. Turns out we have quite the chef in our group.

We ate in an awkward silence, occasionally glancing at each other before going back to staring at our bowls. The confusion and fear radiating off of everybody was tangible.

"Okay," one boy finally says, clasping his hands in front of him. "What are we gonna do?"

I glance from him to Leader, waiting for his response. He noticed my stare and cleared his throat awkwardly. "I say, for tonight, let's just rest. Get some sleep, and we will make a plan on the morning."

There's murmurs of agreement all around and Leader nods, satisfied.

I look down at my spoon, turning it as I stare at my reflection in the small surface. It's hard to make out many details but I can tell I have auburn hair and green eyes. It's weird– the not knowing of anything about your life previously, and having to discover yourself all over again.

My mind wanders. _What was I like before? Did I have any siblings? What about my parents? What was my favorite food? Did I learn to ride a bicycle or was I too scared to try it without training wheels?_

My grip on the spoon tightens. How come I can remember what a bicycle is but not my own _name_?

I feel a hand rest on mine and I jump. It's the blond guy with the funny accent, and he's looking at me, concerned.

"You alright there?" he asks, staring at me with his big doe eyes. I can see the firelight reflected in them.

I take a deep breath, unclenching my jaw and loosening my grip on the spoon. I nod. "Yeah... just, uh, thinking."

He nods, not looking entirely convinced. I glance away from him, feeling uncomfortable under his intense gaze.

"Okay, everyone," Leader says loudly, getting our attention. "Let's go ahead and get settled for the night. There's enough sleeping bags for everyone, so grab one and get a place."

While the boys pick out sleeping bags, I pick up their bowls, stack them, and set them aside. Maybe I can wash them tomorrow, somehow.

Perfect Hair hands me a sleeping bag and I smile, thanking him. I lie down, facing the fire, using my arm as a pillow.

The sky is now dark, but that's it. It's just _dark._

I turn so I'm laying on my back. There's not a single star, no moon– nothing.

For some reason, it makes my heart clench. This place isn't normal. I may not remember what life is like outside of this concrete cube, but I do know that there's supposed to be a sun, a moon, stars and clouds. There should be a breeze to cool you down when the sun is shining too bright, and rain so the grass can grow.

I extend my hand, fisting the grass in my hand. _At least _that _feels natural. _

"I think I remember something."

I shake my head, turning to see one of the boys across from me grinning. It brings a small smile to my face.

"Well, what was it?" I ask, propping myself up on my elbows.

"My name," he replies. "It's Siggy."

A few others snicker at the odd name, but I just grin. "Nice to meet you, Siggy."

Someone else speaks up, "Hey, I think I remember mine too!"

"Me too! I'm Alex!"

"My name's Clint!"

"I'm Winston!"

Names fly as they remember them and suddenly everyone is laughing. I find myself laughing along with them, happy to be _happy, _even in our situation.

"What about you?" Minho (Perfect Hair) asks me. "You remember your name?"

I smile sadly, shaking my head. "Nah, but I'm sure it'll come back eventually."

The atmosphere grows somber after that, and I feel bad. "Um, hey. How about we all do something tomorrow? Like write our names on something?"

Leader, who remembered his name is Nick, grins at the idea. "Yeah, that sounds fun. On what, though?"

"How about one of these bloody walls?" suggests the guy with the funny accent. He doesn't know his name yet, either.

"Sounds good to me," agrees Nick. "All right, guys, let's all settle down. We'll get to work in the morning."

After saying a quiet goodnight, I turn in my sleeping bag, my back to the fire. An uncomfortable weight settles in my chest.

_Memories_.

They're a funny thing. Something you probably never think of losing until they're gone. I mean, everyone forgets over time. You forget the name of your first teacher in elementary school. You forget how exciting your first trip to the zoo was. What your first bicycle looked like, the first joke you told, your grandparent's birthdays.

But rarely do people forget _who they are_. No memory of your name, your hair color, your likes and dislikes. Not a trace of who you were before.

It's almost like you didn't even exist at all.

I clench my eyes shut. _No. _

_You _had_ to exist, _I tell myself. _You have to be important, at least to some extent, to be put here._

The exhaustion of today, both mental and physical, hit me at once, and I find myself drifting off. I clutch my hands close to my chest, almost as if I were used to holding a teddy bear there. The thought makes me smile as I drift farther into unconsciousness.

**AN: hi!! First, I owe y'all a huge apology for taking so long to post this. I haven't had a single ounce of motivation to write, but that's not much of an excuse. **

**ANYWAY I just wanted to say thank you to the several of you who followed and favorited, and especially the reviews! Those really just inspired me to write more, if not for me than to get this story out to the public (because i have huge plans for it!)**

**Please let me know if you liked it!**

**I will try to get the next chapter written and uploaded as soon as I can!**

**Much love,**

**~Mary**


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